The upcoming Olympic games will serve as the inspiration for this year’s Pick A Reading Partners program at Seaford Manor Elementary School. All students gathered for a PARP kickoff assembly on Jan. 29 to get excited about reading.

All students will be asked to read at home every day and log their minutes. They also received a copy of “Hour of the Olympics” from Mary Pope Osborne’s

“Magic Tree House” series. Principal Debra Emmerich said it is a good schoolwide reading selection because it is a book that older students can read independently and younger students can read with help from a parent or older sibling.

Students will also participate in various activities over the next month including sports jersey day, a book swap, an author visit and read with a buddy day. The three classes with the greatest reading and activity participation will receive medals.

PARP began with an Olympic-style opening ceremony with a presentation of flags from 20 different countries, a hanging of colored hula-hoops to form the Olympic symbol and the carrying of the torch. Author Eleanor Turino, a retired librarian from Seaford Manor, visited classes throughout the day and spoke about her book, “Pick Me.”

Emmerich said that the more students read as youngsters, the more success they will likely have in school as they get older. The purpose of PARP, she added, is “to teach children that reading can be enjoyable.”